Seeing that she had escaped a calamity, the cook breathed a sigh of relief. Looking at the Empress Dowager, she saw that she had already walked towards He Yi, grasped Zheng He Yi's cold hand, and said calmly and reassuringly, "I have brought quite a few rewards with me today. You can stay here; I am preparing to return to the palace."

ah.

That ended badly, please.

He Yi quickly kowtowed in thanks and tried to persuade her to stay, but the Empress Dowager was determined to leave, and Granny Cui had already led a large group of people out of the mansion.

Seeing this, He Yi's heart raced. She hurriedly followed, but just as she was about to see the Empress Dowager out, a scream came from the direction of the backyard, followed by a raging fire that shot into the sky!

"Oh no! The woodshed is on fire!"

"The water is flowing! Help!"

"Fire! Help!"

Soon the scene became completely chaotic. Zheng Heyi was worried that if the Empress Dowager stayed any longer, there would be problems, so she hurriedly prepared to take the Empress Dowager away from the Princess's residence.

But at that moment, a person engulfed in flames staggered out of the woodshed, the flames crackling and burning on his body. He seemed oblivious to the pain, running while letting out a strange laugh.

The man had only run a few steps when he collapsed in the garden, motionless. The Empress Dowager, already furious about the food incident, was terrified upon witnessing this bizarre and horrifying scene.

Eunuch Chen and Granny Cui were also surprised to find the Princess's residence in such a bad state. The two approached from the left and right, and hurriedly went to help the Empress Dowager.

Eunuch Chen said in a trembling voice, "Your Majesty, please calm down! This...this must be an accident!"

"An accident?" The Empress Dowager's voice was colder than ever before. She looked down at the charred corpse. "Zheng Heyi, what sordid and disgraceful things have happened in your Princess's mansion? What exactly happened?!"

Zheng Heyi was terrified, feeling dizzy and disoriented.

But he quickly realized that this person must be Jin Keming, who was to be sent to Yingtian Prefecture today!

Yes, this person must be Jin Keming!

Last night she had clearly locked him in the woodshed and assigned guards to keep a close watch on him, so how could a fire suddenly break out? Before she could figure it out, the Empress Dowager had already hurriedly boarded the imperial carriage, which sped away and disappeared into the distance.

As the Empress Dowager was leaving, she glanced back at Zheng Heyi, her eyes filled with fear and disgust, as if she were looking at something ominous.

Holy crap! This plot twist is incredible!

[One second they're scolding the cook, the next they're setting the woodshed on fire? Who's behind this?]

[Was that charred person Jin Keming?]

The Empress Dowager must be traumatized; anyone would be stunned in her shoes.

[You vicious female supporting character, hurry up and think of a way! If the Empress Dowager takes her anger out on you, how can you possibly remain a princess in peace?]

He Yi stood there, stunned, watching the Empress Dowager's carriage gradually disappear into the distance, feeling a chill run from the soles of her feet straight to the top of her head.

She turned to look at Zheng Yu, only to see that Zheng Yu also had a furrowed brow and was staring at the woodshed.

"Jin Keming was locked in the woodshed, and perhaps he set it on fire in a fit of rage. But thinking about it carefully, that seems impossible. Although the people from that side came to the main house to welcome the emperor today, how could a big fire suddenly break out in the backyard?"

"I know."

He Yi took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down. "I'm afraid someone is trying to use Jin Keming's death to make a fuss. First, to kill him and silence him, and second, to frame me and make the Empress Dowager dislike me."

Who could it be?

Zheng Yu's eyes turned cold. "Is there a ghost in our manor? Or perhaps..." As the two were reasoning, Liu Yun rushed over, his expression even more grave than before: "Princess, Young Master Zheng, the woodshed has been cleaned up. The corpse is indeed Jin Kemu."

He Yi's voice trembled slightly: "Could it be that he set the fire or someone else?" Liu Yun looked at her, his eyes becoming much sharper again. "It's unknown, we still need to investigate, but it's impossible for it to be anyone else."

The whole day could be described as chaotic. After the Empress Dowager left, Zheng Yu suggested that He Yi simply dismiss the servants and hire a new batch.

He Yi did not severely punish everyone. On the contrary, since the matter had already happened, it was impossible to undo what had happened. After investigation, it was found that Jin Kemu committed suicide. He probably wanted to burn the place down to the ground.

After the maids left one after another, He Yi's mood worsened. Good heavens, if she didn't discipline the servants and reorganize the Princess's mansion, who knew what other unpredictable dangers might come her way?

As she pondered, He Yi thought of Jiang Shu. She had consulted Jiang Shu some time ago, hoping that she could help her. Without further ado, He Yi hurriedly asked Qing Ju to prepare a carriage and head to the Jiang residence.

Once inside the carriage, He Yi lifted the curtain and looked at Zheng Yu, who was watching her leave: "Brother, I'll leave all the affairs of the manor to you for now. I'll be right back."

Zheng Yu nodded, but his eyes were filled with worry. "Go with peace of mind, I'll take care of everything." The carriage slowly drove away from the Princess's residence. He Yi closed her eyes slightly, but her mind kept replaying everything that had happened that day.

Everything flashed by like a revolving lantern... the filth in the food, the fire in the woodshed, Jin Keming's charred corpse...

[Hey, go! Go find Jiang Shu for help!]

[Jiang Shu is the real female lead! When she appears, she's worth two! Save the villainous supporting character!]

[Stay tuned for what happens next! Let's see how Heyi breaks this deadlock!]

Inside the carriage, He Yi clenched her fists tightly and murmured, "Jiang Shu, you must help me..."

The carriage rolled over the bluestone road, making a creaking sound, but it couldn't shake off the turmoil in Zheng Heyi's heart.

She didn't know how much time had passed; it felt like a century, yet also like a fleeting moment. Finally, the carriage stopped, and Qingju's voice interrupted Heyi's thoughts—"Princess, we've arrived at the Prince Ning's residence."

That day, Princess Ning had already allowed Jiang Shu to leave the ancestral hall. When He Yi arrived, Jiang Shu had just entered the room.

Just as Zheng Heyi was about to push open the door, she heard Yunyu's voice coming from inside: "Princess, please don't pay any more attention to Zheng Heyi..."

"Enough!"

Jiang Shu shouted, "Yunyu, stop talking. Today is the day I leave the ancestral hall. I have finally gained my freedom, and this princess really doesn't want to hear any more of this."

A subtle silence fell over the room. In the quiet, Zheng Heyi knocked on the door. Jiang Shu was slightly taken aback, thinking it was her mother, but it turned out to be Zheng Heyi who entered.

Upon seeing Zheng Heyi, a hint of surprise flashed in Jiang Shu's eyes, but her phoenix eyes quickly dimmed again: "Heyi, you've come."

Wow, Jiang Shu is finally out of seclusion! After so long of reflecting on her mistakes, her demeanor seems to have become even more aloof.

[Yunyu is stirring up trouble again! She's such a troublemaker!]

[Hurry, you villainous female supporting character! Quickly tell Jiang Shu about your miserable situation and ask her to help you!]

“Sister Shu’er,” Zheng Heyi stepped forward and took her hand, only to find that her fingertips were cold, as if they were driftwood pulled from the water. “I heard that you left the ancestral hall today, so I came here to see you.”